"Okay. Run along; tell her I'm on my way--and ask if she has sometoenail polish I can borrow."

I'll save on details. It took three minutes in all, and I played itproperly, even pardoning myself when I slipped and bumped into Anderson'swhite tropicals with the wet squiggler. He smiled, brushed it off; shesmiled, even though Luharich Complectacolor couldn't completely mask thedark circles under her eyes; and I smiled, waving to all our fans out therein videoland. --Remember, Mrs. Universe, you, too, can look like amonster-catcher. Just use Luharich face cream.

I went below and made myself a tuna sandwich, with mayonnaise.

Two days like icebergs--bleak, blank, half-melting, all frigid, mainlyout of sight, and definitely a threat to peace of mind--drifted by and weregood to put behind. I experienced some old guilt feelings and had a fewdisturbing dreams. Then I called Lifeline and checked my bank balance.

"Going shopping?" asked Mike, who had put the call through for me.

"Going home," I answered.

"Huh?"

"I'm out of the baiting business after this one, Mike. The Devil withIkky! The Devil with Venus and Luharich Enterprises! And the Devil withyou!"

Up eyebrows.

"What brought that on?"

"I waited over a year for this job. Now that I'm here, I've decided thewhole thing stinks."

"You knew what it was when you signed on. No matter what else you'redoing, you're selling face cream when you work for face cream sellers."

"Oh, that's not what's biting me. I admit the commercial angleirritates me, but Tensquare has always been a publicity spot, ever since thefirst time it sailed."

"What, then?"

"Five or six things, all added up. The main one being that I don't careany more. Once it meant more to me than anything else to hook that critter,